European Commissioner for Transport Violeta Bulc made it clear during a joint press interview with the Union of Greek Ship owners that the Commission did not intend to the change tax framework for the shipping industry. ‘The Commission is aware of the tonnage tax for Greece and other EU member states and does not plan to change the current directive guidelines’, said Bulc.

The Commissioner underlined that the EC was in preliminary talks with all the interested parties concerning matters of taxation in the transport industry and would soon move to the next phase of examining the issue in more detail. That specific reference caused the reaction of the Union’s President Theodore Veniamis, who warned that such a move could open ‘Pandora’s box’.

Bulc said the top priority of the Commission was to maintain Europe’s global leadership in the shipping industry. Bulc pointed out that the shipping was a global activity which was why the Commission was in close contact with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).